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This Weekend
Sept 22 shouldn't be a holiday. It's a Tuesday, wedged between Respect-for-the-Aged Day and the Autumnal Equinox — and by law, a weekday sandwiched between two holidays becomes one itself. The result: five straight days off, Sept 19 through 23, the first stretch like it in 11 years. Hokkaido's treating it like the biggest weekend of the season, and the calendar backs that up.
Reader Photo of the Week
Odori Park — submitted by Ismail Firdaus (shared out of season)
"An absolute beautiful view."
A reminder of what's coming — but no need to rush ahead. Autumn's only just getting started, and Odori Park has its own kind of beautiful still to give before winter takes over again. Enjoy this season while it's here.
今週の一言 · WORD OF THE WEEK
一期一会
Ichigo ichie
ee-chee-go ee-chee-eh
Literally "one time, one meeting" — the idea, rooted in tea ceremony philosophy, that this exact moment will never happen again, so it deserves your full attention. It's why a Silver Week that hasn't occurred in 11 years is worth taking seriously. It's also why this week's Photo of the Week — a snowy Odori Park, shared a little out of season — is worth sitting with for a second: the autumn season you're in right now won't be here much longer either.
SAPPORO
Featured
HBA Special Night — Dōshin Akihanabi (Autumn Fireworks)
Daiwa House Premist Dome, Open Arena, gates 16:00, starts 19:00, ¥3,000–20,000 — ~18,000 fireworks fully synchronized to music, from Yamazaki Enka — the pyrotechnics house behind major theme park shows and multiple Prime Minister's Award wins. YOSAKOI Soran and a Hokkaido University string quartet perform beforehand..
Sat Sept 19 – Mon Sept 21 (holiday) - Bare Bear Beer Festival · Hokkaido International School, 4F, Toyohira-ku, free admission, ticketed — 13:00–21:00 (Sat), 12:00–21:00 (Sun), 12:00–19:00 (Mon). ¥3,000 special ticket includes ¥2,500 of food/drink tickets, an exclusive commemorative beer glass, and a raffle entry.
Ongoing through Oct 3 - Sapporo Autumn Fest · Odori Park — During Silver Week specifically (Sept 19–23), a limited 3-shop collab soup curry appears — worth catching before it's gone.
Sat Sept 19 - Railway Festival in Hokkaido (33rd annual "Railway Day" event) · Akapla, 10:00–16:00, free — Railway merchandise, stage events, and vendor booths. A limited pre-sale Ezomomonga plush (tied to the Kitaca IC card), a first appearance of the digital station-stamp app "Ekitag," and a big gathering of regional mascots.
Sat Sept 19 – Sun Sept 20 - Hakko Marche 3 · Hakko Gakuen agricultural direct-sale shop, Toyohira-ku, 10:00–16:00, free — A farmers'-market-style event at a local agricultural school.
BEYOND SAPPORO
Featured
Asahikawa Tabe Marche (FOOD FESTIVAL) 2026
Sat Sept 19 – Mon Sept 21 (holiday) - Kita no Megumi Asahikawa Tabe Marche 2026 · JR Asahikawa Station Plaza & Heiwa-dori Shopping Park, 10:00–18:00 (final day to 17:00; night-marche area till 20:00 first two days) — A major food festival spanning the station plaza and the full pedestrian shopping street — regional produce, seafood, processed goods, and local specialty dishes. New this year: a night-market zone. One of the bigger food events in northern Hokkaido all year.
NISEKO
Sun Sept 20, 12:30–6:30pm - Niseko Village Autumn Jazz "Akino Oto" · Niseko Village, free, open-air — Second annual edition. All-day lineup of quartets, bands, and solo jazz acts, with international food from Niseko Village's dining area alongside.
Mon Sept 21 (holiday) -Free Beginner Skateboard Ramp Session at Niseko Tokyu Grand HIRAFU, ALPEN NODE Front Plaza, free — Coached step-by-step by former Japanese Olympic snowboarder Shinichi Watanabe. Ages 5+, all gear provided.
OTARU
Sat Sept 19 – Sat Sept 26 - North Canal Night Market — Yummy-ichi 2026 · North Canal, central bridge to the old Hokkaido Seikan Warehouse No. 3 plaza, 17:00–21:00, free — Canal-side night market and illumination — ~30 food/drink vendors, live music, a walking game tied to the area's Japan Heritage designation.
SHIRAOI
Sat Sept 19 (opens) - 伝統ト革新展 2026 (Tradition and Innovation Exhibition) · Upopoy (National Ainu Museum and Park), through Oct 4 — The 5th annual exchange exhibition between Upopoy and Lake Akan Ainu Kotan, centered on the fuchi and ekashi (elders) who founded the Akan Ainu community, with music, oral storytelling, workshops, and food woven through the show. A genuinely substantive cultural pick, not just a craft demo.
ISHIKARI
Sun Sept 20, 9:00–15:15 - 41st Hamamasu Hometown Festival · Kawashita Kaihin Park, Ishikari — A long-running local hometown festival on the coast.
NOBORIBETSU
Standing: Jigokudani Demon Fireworks — every Thursday in September, including Sept 17 and Sept 24. Yukijin (guardian demons) launch hand-held fireworks through the onsen town.
WEEKEND PICK
Asahikawa's Tabe Marche: worth the trip north
If you're only going to travel somewhere this Silver Week, make it Asahikawa. The entire stretch from the station to the pedestrian shopping street turns into one continuous food market for three days — produce, seafood, and dishes from across northern Hokkaido, plus a brand-new night-market zone for something different after dark. It's the kind of event that's easy to build a whole day trip around.
See you out there. · 今週末も楽しんで。
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